Sierra glaciers in rapid retreat
At the same time, ice slabs at Mt. Shasta have grown. A warming trend is responsible for both developments, researchers say.
A new survey of glaciers in the Sierra Nevada shows the thick slabs of ice that have frosted many of the state’s high peaks for the last thousand years are dramatically shrinking and, in some cases, disappearing altogether.
“I would never point the finger and say this is all human-induced warming,” Stephenson said. “But maybe we are speeding it up now.”
Less glaciers means less water is available, precisely what California does not need.